Definition of the English Constitution

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The Constitution of Great Britain has always been a topic of controversy among the constitutional writers. Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French writer, once remarked, "Em Angle Terre la constitution, elle n'existe point"-- "In England there is no constitution." De Tocqueville was led do this conclusion, because he was familiar with regard a document properly adopted, as a constitution, which British Constitution isn't. It is a singular Constitution because it's

  • unwritten:
  • extremely flexible:
  • evolved, mostly by parliamentary enactments and Conventions; and
  • not safeguarded by a special body, such as the law courts, but left to the free decisions of the legislature.



DEFINITION OF ENGLISH CONSTITUTION

These and other features of British Constitution make it a difficult constitution to explain in print. It is a living reality, constantly changing and evolving under its internal pressures and external forces. It is, as Joseph Redlich said, "an infinitely complex amalgam of institutions and principles and practices." it's not one document, but thousands of them. It is not derived from one source, but from several. It is not complete but is within the process of growth. It is a toddler of wisdom and of chance, whose course has been indifferently guided accidentally and intentionally and deliberation. It is a child of accident and chance.

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